IF ONLY YOU COULD RAISE COWS AND PIGS THAT WAY:

'Guilt-free' fish farming arrives (HSIAO-CHING CHOU, 2/22/06, Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

The locals call it kahala. It is a lowly native fish that in the wild is prone to a reef toxin called ciguatera. Commercial fishermen, who throw kahala back in the ocean if they catch it, scoff at the suggestion of cultivating the species for profit. Why would anyone want to waste time on a fish that could poison the person who eats it?

But a groundbreaking enterprise here on the Big Island has transformed kahala from trash to the "it" fish on menus at celebrated restaurants and, in the process, challenged the belief that marine aquaculture is detrimental to the environment. Thanks to Kona Blue Water Farms and Bainbridge Island-based Net Systems, the future of virtually "guilt-free" fish farming has arrived -- and in sashimi-grade style.

The premium product is called Kona Kampachi, the trademarked name of the cultivated version of kahala (also known as Hawaiian yellowtail and almaco jack), or Seriola rivoliana. The clean, unfishy taste of Kona Kampachi and its crisp-yet-unctuous texture have delighted chefs from top restaurants as diverse as Roy's in Hawaii, the venerable Chez Panisse, The French Laundry, even Seattle's own Canlis and The Oceanaire. (It retails at Uwajimaya for about $20 per pound.)

Other attributes of the fish include high levels of Omega-3s, up to a two-week shelf life, more than 30 percent fat content (wild Seriola rivoliana contain about 3 percent fat), which for chefs equates to flavor and moisture, and, according to Kona Blue, no detectable levels of mercury or PCBs.